Wire fence



R. PHILLIS. WIRE FENCE (No Model.)

No. 557,017. Patented Mar'. 24,1896..

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WIT/VESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.. g

ROSS PI-IILLIS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

WIRE FENCE.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,017, dated March 24, 1896.

Application led August 23, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Ross PHILLIs, of Springiield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Wire Fence, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wire fences, and has for its objects to provide novel braces or stay-pieces for the Wires comprising the fence, and also to afford reliable means for securing the fence -Wires on supporting-posts which will permit expansion and contraction of the Wires and take up slackness occasioned by expansion of said Wires.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and indicated in the claims.

Reference is t0 be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding' parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of a fence-post, fencewires thereon, and features of the improvement engaging the fence-wires. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional viewsubstantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side view of part of a fence-post and improved means for supporting fence-wires thereon. Fig. fi is a plan view of one fence- Wire stay engaging a fence-Wire, shownA in part. Fig. 5 is a side view of a part of a wirefence panel, the Wires of which are spaced apart and braced by stays slightly differing in construction from those shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of a fence-Wire stay of the form shown in Fig. 5.

The wire felice embodying the improvements may be composed of any preferred number of Wire strands 10, which are sustained at their ends in spaced order on posts 1l, thus forming a fence-panelthat is of a suitable length. One essential requisite for the proper support of the fence-Wires on their sustaining-posts consists in providing an attachment for the Wires to the posts Which will allow the Wires to contract in cold Weather and avoid strain due to such contraction, which if not compensated for Will rupture the Wires. To this end the spring attachments for the ends of the wires (clearly shown in Fig. 3) are provided, one foreach terminal of a Wire, and each consists of a bolt 12, having a ring-eye a Serial No. 560,258. (No model.)

at one end, which is coupled to asimilar eye on the end of the fence-wire. The bolts 12 are respectively passed through perforations in the post-body, which perforations are properly spaced apart parallel with each other, all passing through the same sides of the post.

The bolt-receiving perforations are counterbored of a like depth from what may be considered the outer side of the post, Which produces an annular space around each bolt when the latter are inserted and passed through the post, first entering the smaller diameter of the perforation and then extending through the counterbore b and beyond the latter sufficiently to first receive the Washer c and then the nut d. Before the washer and the nut are placed on each bolt 12 a strong spiral spring 13 is mounted on the same, said springs having such proportionate length that they will be slightly compressed when the fence-wires that are attached to the eyes of the bolts 12 are drawn taut and the washers c have enforced con tact with the side of the post.

The preferred form for the fence-wire stay, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, consists of a fiat strip of metal 14C, provided for each stay, said strip having spaced loops e formed in it,Which loops are all open at the same side of the strip, and their spaced separation is such as will permit the loops to severally engage with the fence-wires, each loop receiving an appropriate fence-Wire, as clearly represented in Figs. 1 and 2. In the projecting looped portions e vertically-aligning perforations are formed to permit a keeper-rod 15 to be downwardly inserted, passing through all the loops, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This form of loop and hook forms a lock on the fence-Wire,which prevents it from being moved up or down or lengthwise When pressed against by animals, as, if one of the loops is moved` the loops above and below it Will lock to the fence-Wires, and this is a very essential feature of the fence. The Stays and rods can be removed at Will without injury to the fence-wires or the stays.

It will be seen that from the position given the keeper-rod for each stay-piece 14 the said rod Will impinge upon each fence-Wire lO and bind it within the loop e it occupies, and the series of fence-Wires in a panel will be firmly bound in spaced condition if a suitable num- ICO ber of the improved fence-wire stays are pron vided therefor.

In Figs. and G the improved fence-wire stay is shown as formed of wire rods instead of a metal strip, the same consisting of two wire strands 16, which are twisted together, having integral loops g, formed at proper intervals in pairs, which loops are adapted to receive the fence-wires in a manner similar to the loops e, and also permit the introd notion of the upright keeper-rods l5 between the loops, which rods when inserted will hold the fence-wires in the wire loops g.

The keeper-rods are each furnished with a ring 7L that is formed on the upper end of the same, and said rings have snfiicicnt diameter to permit the insertion of the angularly-bent upper end portion of the stayfpieces ll through the ring and beyond it, as clearly shown in Fig. i, the projecting end of the staypiece being preferably cut to afford two prongs i. In a like manner the stay-piece formed of the wire strands 1G is bent at the upper ends of said strand to produce two prongs n, one ou each strand, and said prongs are spread apart to provide barbs.

rlhe provision of the barbs i or n on the upper ends of the stay-pieces 14 or 16 insures locking the keeperfrods 15 from removal, and the barbed formations also prevent animals from pushing against the stay-pieces of the fence when the stay-pieces are locked bythe keeper-rods.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a wire fence, the combination with supported wires vertically arranged in spaced order, of a plurality of brace-pieces, each consisting of a at metal strip having open loops formed thereon and projecting from the same side of said strip, the loops being perforated in vertical alignment, and a keeper-rod for each brace-piece, having a ring on its upper end and passing through and closely tting the perforations in the loops after the latter are occupied by the fence-wires, and whereby said wires are bound in the loops,the upper end of the brace-piece being laterally bent and passing through the ring of the keeper-rod, retaining said rod locked in the brace-piece, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a wire fence, the combination with supported fence-wires spaced apart in a vertical plane, of brace-pieces for said fence- Wires, each having a series of loops spaced apart to receive the fence-wires and open on the same side of the brace-piece, the loops being perforated in alignment, a keeper-rod for each brace, passing through the perforations in the loops after the latter are occupied by the fence-wires, said keeper-rod having a rin on its upper end, and a laterally-bent forniation on the upper end of the brace-piece furcated to provide barbs and passing through the ring of the keeper-rod, substantially as described.

ROSS PIHLLIS.

lVitnesses:

OLIvER II. MILLER, T. F. CARTWELL. 

